Private jet to French Guiana

French Guiana is part of France on the north coast of South America, between Suriname and Brazil: a single territorial collectivity exercising the powers of an overseas department and region, and one of the EU's outermost regions. French law and the euro apply, but the territory lies outside the Schengen area, so documents are checked on arrival and on departure. Almost all of French Guiana is rainforest, and most people live along the coast between Cayenne, Kourou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.

Most private flights are linked to the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, from where European rockets are launched: engineers, programme managers and guests of the companies involved arrive before a launch. Every jet from Europe lands at Cayenne Félix Eboué, the only airport in French Guiana with a long runway, customs and handling for business aircraft.

Send us the dates and the number of passengers, and mention a launch date if there is one; we reply with aircraft and prices.

Flight times from Europe

Cayenne is about 5,800 km from Lisbon, 7,100 km from Paris and 7,700 km from Munich. The route crosses France and the Bay of Biscay and continues over the Atlantic between the Azores and Madeira. A Falcon 900EX flies non-stop from Paris in 8:51 h, from Toulouse in 8:29 h and from London in 8:45 h; from Frankfurt and Munich it lands once, while a Falcon 7X still crosses non-stop in 9:11-9:22 h. A Challenger 650 stops once for fuel from Paris, which adds about an hour and a half, but crosses without a stop from Madrid and Lisbon. After a crossing of eight to nine hours the crew must rest, so a quick return needs a second crew or a day in Cayenne.

Prices to Cayenne

Prices cover the whole jet one way, flown from a base near the departure city. Handling at Félix Eboué, parking, any fuel stop and passenger taxes are added in the quote; the time in each row is that of the Falcon 900EX or, in the regional table, the Citation CJ3.

From France and the European hubs

From Paris a Falcon 900EX costs EUR 91,000 non-stop, slightly less than a Challenger 650 with a stop at EUR 93,000; a Falcon 7X costs EUR 105,000. Toulouse, home of many space companies, comes in at EUR 87,000 in the Falcon 900EX and Bordeaux at EUR 86,000. From Frankfurt and Munich the Falcon 900EX needs a stop, so the Challenger 650 at EUR 98,000-100,000 is the cheaper choice. The lowest prices are from Madrid and Lisbon, where the Challenger 650 flies non-stop for EUR 71,000 and EUR 67,000.

From the French Antilles and neighbouring countries

Martinique and Guadeloupe are French too, and flights from there stay within the EU. Suriname, Guyana and Brazil are separate countries with their own entry, customs and pet rules, and a foreign operator flying to Brazil needs a permit from the Brazilian aviation authority ANAC.

A flight between mainland France and Cayenne, or between Cayenne and the Antilles, is a French domestic flight in law, so only an operator from the EU may carry passengers on it; from London, Geneva or Zurich an operator from outside the EU can fly with the right permits. Between mainland France and Cayenne the French tax on a business jet is generally the European figure of about EUR 420 per passenger, confirmed by the operator in the quote, while longer international sectors are charged about EUR 1,015 or EUR 2,100 by distance; a departure from Cayenne also pays French passenger taxes. Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger at this distance on flights from or to Italy; from the UK, Air Passenger Duty is due at the higher rate on jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats and at the standard rate on lighter ones; Germany, Norway and the Netherlands levy their own departure taxes. Each appears as a line in the quote.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

Two typical trips

Price per passenger

Calculator

The calculator e-mails an estimate in seconds; mention a launch date in the comments:

Félix Eboué and the interior airstrips

Aircraft for the crossing

A Falcon 900EX crosses non-stop from most of western Europe and is the usual choice from Paris; a Falcon 7X adds the range for Frankfurt and Munich; a Challenger 650 costs a little more from France because of the stop but is the cheapest choice from Spain and Portugal. For Martinique, Guadeloupe, Paramaribo or Belém a Citation CJ3 or Phenom 300 is enough.

If a launch date is still moving, a consultant can call to plan around it:

Seasons, carnival and launches

French Guiana has an equatorial climate, with highs of about 31 degrees all year. Mid-July to November is the dry season and the best time for the forest and the islands; December to July is wet, with a drier spell in March and May the wettest month. Launch campaigns at Kourou follow the launch providers' schedules, not the calendar, and bring most of the long-range traffic. Empty Legs follow those campaigns rather than the seasons: a jet that brings a team for a launch often flies back to Europe empty.

From the airport

Empty Legs to and from Cayenne

Most legs on offer are long-range jets going back to Europe after a launch campaign or a family trip, plus short regional legs between Cayenne, the Antilles and Suriname. Mail empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and the weeks you could travel, and matching legs are sent as they appear.

Documents, yellow fever and pets

• Dogs and cats follow the EU rules: microchip, rabies vaccination valid on the day, at least 21 days after the first one, and the EU pet passport; no antibody test and no quarantine.
• From the UK an animal health certificate is needed, because a Great Britain pet passport is not valid for entry into the EU.
• With the operator's approval the pet flies in the cabin; coming back to mainland France is a movement within the EU.
• Suriname, Guyana and Brazil are not on the EU list, so a pet that continues there needs a rabies antibody test before it can return to the EU, best taken before leaving Europe.
• For the UK a dog is treated against tapeworm 1-5 days before landing, and pets arrive only through approved routes and handlers.

From request to take-off

1. Send the dates, the number of passengers and, if relevant, the launch date and how flexible the return is.
2. We compare a non-stop heavy or long-range jet with a one-stop option and check that the operator is from the EU for flights from France.
3. The offers name the operator, the model, the flight time and the price of the whole aircraft.
4. With the contract signed and paid, the operator files the flight and reserves the handler; every passenger checks the yellow fever certificate.
5. On arrival the handler meets you and takes you through the document check to the car for Cayenne or Kourou.

Questions about private flights to French Guiana

• • How much does a private jet to French Guiana cost?

  • From Paris a Falcon 900EX costs EUR 91,000 non-stop, one way for the whole aircraft. From Lisbon a Challenger 650 costs EUR 67,000.

• • Is French Guiana in the EU and Schengen?

  • It is part of France and the EU and uses the euro, but it is outside Schengen, so documents are checked on arrival and departure.

• • Can a non-EU operator fly us from Paris to Cayenne?

  • No, the flight is domestic in law and must be flown by an operator from the EU.

• • Is yellow fever vaccination required?

  • Yes, for every traveller from the age of one, also when arriving directly from Europe. The vaccine is given at least 10 days before travel.

• • Can we watch a rocket launch at Kourou?

  • Yes, from designated viewing sites booked in advance. Launch dates often move, so we plan spare days or a flexible return.

• • How long is the flight from Paris?

  • 8:51 h non-stop in a Falcon 900EX or 8:40 h in a Falcon 7X.

• • Can we bring our dog to French Guiana?

  • Yes, under the EU rules: chip, pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination, without an antibody test or quarantine.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Cayenne stays on the same time all year, 4 hours behind Paris in the European winter and 5 hours in summer.

• • Can we continue to Martinique or Suriname?

  • Yes. Martinique is 2:30 h away in a Citation CJ3 within the EU; Paramaribo is under an hour away, with immigration at both ends.